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Nutrition in pregnant or lactating rats programs lipid metabolism in the offspring

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

A. Lucas ,
B. A. Baker ,
M. Desai  and
C. N. Hales
A. Lucas
Affiliation:
MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Downham's Lane, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ University Department of Paediatrics, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 2QQ
B. A. Baker
Affiliation:
MRC Dunn Nutrition Unit, Downham's Lane, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1XJ
M. Desai
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 2QR
C. N. Hales
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 2QR
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Abstract

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Epidemiological studies in humans show that size in early life is related to blood cholesterol concentrations in adult life, raising the hypothesis that early nutrition programs later lipid metabolism, affecting risk for later vascular disease. Here, we tested the hypothesis that nutrition during pregnancy or lactation in the rat programs lipid metabolism in the offspring, studied in adult life (mean 6 months). Rats (n 35) from normally-fed dams (controls) were compared with (1) rats (n 22) from dams protein-restricted in pregnancy and lactation; (2) rats (n 9) born to normally-fed mothers crossed to protein- restricted lactating dams and (3) those (n 9) born of protein-restricted dams and crossed to normally-fed lactating animals. In these latter three groups the offspring showed long-term reduction in plasma cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations compared with controls. The effects were predominantly in males. These findings suggest that in the rat the sensitive period for nutritional programming of cholesterol and triacylglycerol metabolism is both pre- and postnatal (pre-weaning) and that rats may be ‘indirectly’ programmed by altering the maternal nutritional milieu during gestation or lactation. whilst it has been hypothesized that early human undernutrition programs risk for vascular disease, one aspect of undernutrition, low maternal protein intake, in this rat model programmed lower plasma cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations.

Keywords

Maternal dietLipid metabolismNutritional programming
Type
General Nutrition
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 76 , Issue 4 , October 1996 , pp. 605 - 612
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1996

References

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